Modern vehicles are equipped with a wide array of features and systems that are designed to enhance the driver's experience as he or she operates a vehicle. Some features and systems are specifically designed to enhance the safety of the vehicle as it is being driven. One such feature is a blind spot detection system. A blind spot detection system utilizes radar (or other suitable detection means) to detect the presence of an object located in a vehicle's blind spot. A vehicle's blind spot is the region to the rear and/or lateral side of the vehicle that falls between a field of view provided by the vehicle's internal rear view mirror and a field of view provided by the vehicle's external rearview mirror. When the blind spot detection system detects the presence of an object (e.g., small vehicles, motorcycles, bicycles, and the like) in the vehicle's blind spot, the blind spot detection system is configured to alert the driver to the presence of the object through the use of either or both visible and audible alerts. To avoid driver distraction, some blind spot detection systems may provide the alert to the driver only when the driver takes action that may result in a collision with the object (activates a turn signal, changes lanes, and the like).
While conventional blind spot detection systems are useful in alerting a driver to the presence of objects that are not visible to the driver, there is room for improvement. For example, sometimes the alert provided by a blind spot detection system may make the driver curious about what has been detected and, in response to the alert, some drivers may turn their heads or take other action in an effort to see the object. Additionally, some objects that are detected by existing blind spot detection systems may not be of immediate concern to the driver. For example, the presence of a fence, a lane divider, parked cars, or other objects that will not interfere with operation of the vehicle may nevertheless be detected by existing blind spot detection systems, causing them to sound an alert.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a system that is compatible for use with existing blind spot detection systems and that enables a driver to visibly observe the object(s) that have been detected by the blind spot detection system. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.